Eye-Safe Dermatologic Treatment Apparatus and Method

Abstract

A dermatologic treatment apparatus is disclosed which includes one or more housings with at least one housing configured for manipulation in a dermatologic treatment procedure, a light source, and an electrical circuit. The circuit energizes the light source to produce output light pulses. A light path includes an aperture through which eye-safe light pulses are propagated having properties sufficient for providing efficacious treatment. An optical diffuser is disposed along the light path to reduce the integrated radiance to an eye-safe level. The apparatus produces an output fluence not less than 4 J/cm 2 .

1 - 78 . (canceled) 
     
     
         79 . A dermatologic treatment apparatus, comprising:
 a light source providing pulses of light having an output fluence of 4-100 J/cm 2  at a target area of a patient and having sufficient fluence to cause hair removal at the target area;   an optical apparatus for distributing light from the light source substantially uniformly across an input of a diffuser, wherein the diffuser diffuses the light sufficiently to cause the apparatus to be eye-safe during treatment while maintaining sufficient fluence to cause hair removal at the target area of the patient;   a contact sensor configured to detect contact with the skin; and   control circuitry configured to enable the light source in response to the contact sensor detecting contact with the skin;   wherein the diffuser and the contact sensor act as independent eye safety features.   
     
     
         80 . The dermatologic treatment apparatus of  claim 79 , wherein the diffuser has substantially the same area as the input. 
     
     
         81 . The dermatologic treatment apparatus of  claim 79 , wherein the diffuser is larger in area than the input. 
     
     
         82 . The apparatus of  claim 79 , wherein the light source is divergent. 
     
     
         83 . The apparatus of  claim 79 , wherein the optical apparatus distributes light from the light source across substantially all of the diffuser. 
     
     
         84 . The apparatus of  claim 79 , wherein a principal optical axis of light emitted by the light source striking the diffuser is not parallel to the normal of the surface of the diffuser. 
     
     
         85 . The apparatus of  claim 85 , wherein the light source comprises one or more laser diode bars. 
     
     
         86 . The apparatus of  claim 82 , wherein the light source comprises one or more diode lasers. 
     
     
         87 . A dermatologic treatment apparatus, comprising:
 a light source providing coherent light of 4-100 J/cm 2  at a target area of a human and having sufficient fluence to effect a hair-removal dermatological treatment at the target area;   an optical apparatus, having an outlet, that communicates the fluence substantially across the outlet;   an optical diffuser that diffuses the light so that the light emitted from the apparatus is eye safe during the hair removal dermatological treatment;   a contact sensor configured to detect contact with the skin; and   control circuitry configured to enable the light source in response to the contact sensor detecting contact with the skin;   wherein the optical diffuser and the contact sensor act as independent eye safety features.   
     
     
         88 . The dermatologic treatment apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein the fluence is sufficient that the hair removal is permanent. 
     
     
         89 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein the optical diffuser comprises at least one of a group including a transmissive diffuser and a reflective diffuser. 
     
     
         90 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein the optical diffuser is a transmissive diffuser and comprises a bulk scattering diffuser medium. 
     
     
         91 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein the optical apparatus distributes the light substantially uniformly across the outlet. 
     
     
         92 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein the light is primarily within a spectral band of 500 nm to 1100 nm. 
     
     
         93 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein the light source includes one or more diode lasers. 
     
     
         94 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein a principal optical axis of light emitted from the light source striking the diffuser is not parallel to the normal of the surface of the diffuser. 
     
     
         95 . The apparatus of  claim 94 , wherein the light source comprises one or more laser diode bars. 
     
     
         96 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein the light source provides pulses of light. 
     
     
         97 . A method for performing a hair-removal procedure on a human using a lens-less device comprising a divergent light source, an optical outlet, a diffuser, and a hollow cylindrical mixer, the method comprising:
 directing the optical outlet of the lens-less device at a target area of a human;   activating the divergent light source to emit a divergent beam of light toward the optical outlet;   the hollow cylindrical mixer increasing a spatial uniformity of the divergent light from an input end of the mixer to an output end of the mixer; and   the diffuser diffusing the light so that the light emitted from the optical outlet of the lens-less device is eye safe; and   wherein the light emitted from the optical outlet of the lens-less device has a fluence of 4-100 J/cm2 across the optical outlet and sufficient fluence to effect a hair-removal dermatological treatment.